Edmé-Gilles Guyot (1706–1786) was a French mail clerk, physician, postmaster, cartographer, inventor and author on the subject of mathematics, physics and magic. He experimented with

optical illusion Within visual perception, an optical illusion (also called a visual illusion) is an illusion caused by the visual system and characterized by a visual perception, percept that arguably appears to differ from reality. Illusions come in a wide v ...

s and with the theory behind performance magic. His developments into the apparent appearance of ghosts, using the projection of a figure into smoke, helped to create the technology and techniques used in

phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria (, also fantasmagorie, fantasmagoria) was a form of horror theatre that (among other techniques) used one or more magic lanterns to project frightening images, such as skeletons, demons, and ghosts, onto walls, smoke, or sem ...

Mathematics, science, and magic

Manufacturer of conjuring apparatus and scientific instruments, Guyot was accused of exploiting and revealing the tricks used at the time by magicians and science populizers like Nicolas-Philippe Ledru and François Pelletier. He created "magic theatres" for the aristocracy – small boxes that use lanterns and slides to create an animated story. Guyot's work was influential in the development of

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a si ...

s and their use in

. In 1770 he detailed a method of simultaneously using two different slides in this early projection device. His example was a sea that would become increasingly stormy, throwing around the ships that were sailing on it. He advised that the slides would need to be very carefully painted in order to create a realistic and beautiful animation. His writings on the subject were translated into English and German and were widely circulated around Europe. His experiments led to the technique of projecting images onto smoke to create the appearance of ghostly apparitions. In 1779 Guyot described the use of transformation slides in magic lanterns to create simple animations.

''Nouvelles recreations physiques et mathematiques''

Guyot's four part book ''Nouvelles recreations physiques et mathematiques'' featured descriptions of experiments and examples of how various innovative mathematical and magical tricks could be performed. The book was first published in 1769 and included an explanation of Hooper's paradox, It also includes detailed, illustrated techniques for the performance of the

cups and balls The cups and balls is a performance of magic with innumerable adaptations. Street gambling variations performed by conmen were known as Bunco Booths. A typical cups and balls routine includes many of the most fundamental effects of magic: the ba ...

trick that is regarded as being greatly influential. The book was adapted into English by William Hooper, under the title ''Rational Recreations'' being released in 1774 without credit to Guyot.

Medicine

Guyot is credited with describing in 1724 the catheterization of the

Eustachian tube In anatomy, the Eustachian tube, also known as the auditory tube or pharyngotympanic tube, is a tube that links the nasopharynx to the middle ear, of which it is also a part. In adult humans, the Eustachian tube is approximately long and in d ...

, one of the first means of middle ear inflation.

Publications

References

External links

Nouvelles récréations physiques et mathématiques/Neue physikalische und mathematische Belustigungen
From th

in the Rare Book and Special Collection Division at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

''La France littéraire'', Duchesne, Paris 1759, p. 72.
*
''Correspondance littéraire, philosophique et critique'', January 1770, pp. 444-5.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guyot, Edme-Gilles 1706 births 1786 deaths 18th-century French physicians French cartographers 18th-century French mathematicians 18th-century French inventors